I See No Strangers: Early Sikh Art and Devotion

Guru Nanak (1469–1539) founded the Sikh religion, calling for the recognition of one god, by whatever name devotees chose to call him and the rejection of superstition, avarice, meaningless ritual, and social oppression. In his radical embrace of all religions, Guru Nanak envisioned a loving god who was outside the bound of any one religion. He upheld the truth of equality among all beings and practiced the quiet heroics of holding up a mirror to foolishness. Meditation and devotion were identified as the work of the private domain and charity, honest work, and service to humanity as the obligations to the social domain. This catalogue brings together and illuminates works of art that identify these core Sikh beliefs in the period of their early development by the 10 historical Gurus (16th–17th century). The works of art, from the 16th through the 19th century, include paintings, drawings, textiles, and metalwork. The essay and object texts by B. N. Goswamy and Caron Smith provide keen insight into early Sikh devotion and examine the works of art in the contest of the North Indian cultural mix in which they were created.

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